Running: A Fever

How many times have a stated that stress is a vicious killer, a slayer of men, a menace to all earthly life? Today I want to talk about how to avoid it, so we can live longer, happier, healthier lives to the very end. But we all have stress. It is a part of life. Without it, we would be even worse off. It is a survival mechanism that kicks our bodies into high gear when we are taken by surprise with a serious threat, so we can do what needs to be done. I was thinking about this today in regards to the human animal and other animals. Very few animals live longer than humans. Perhaps some tortoises and elephants, maybe a few kinds of parrot. Animals seem to face a lot more stress. They can't go to a grocery store to get food, or even to a soup kitchen. I think of lions and tigers, who have to kill some hard-to-kill prey, and fight off other lions and tigers and other animals who might want the same food. But when you put them in captivity, a situation in which their survival has no external threat, food is prov

There is a lot of noise about sleep. Unfortunately there is also a lot of noise in this episode of the podcast due to the overwhelming presence of cicadas in the park. So apologies for that. For example, back to the figurative noise, another podcaster called Jocko always recommends getting up early to get more done and be more successful. If you go to bed late and get up early, you might not be getting enough. But noise makes it difficult to sleep, literally, and difficult to sort out how much sleep I really need -- figuratively. When there is noise like this, I try to filter it out for you and distill the information down to something useful and true. There are some recent studies, the reports of which offer suggestions on how much sleep is needed at various stages of life. See the National Sleep Foundation website linked below. But basically, most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com  

Most of us can't afford our own private gym. So we have to share with others. That means curtesy is important, as it is everywher humans gather. But in the gym there are a couple of particular things we can do to help keep the peace with our fellow gym members. One is racking weights after you finish with an exercise. There are a couple of good reasons for this. One is that you never know where the next person to use that station is going to start. Sometimes I like to do a warm-up set with a lower weight level, about 50% of what I would lift in a working set. Sometimes I just use the bar. But it's rare that any two people are lifting exactly the same amount of weight. Another reason is that sometimes it is difficult to tell if a station is in use. This can also be caused if a person abandons towels or water bottles, which I have also seen. If the weights are racked and the debris is cleared, it's a good bet the station is available. Don't drop weights unnecessarily. It can be harmful to the equipment and floo

The value of time is infinity per hour! Yesterday we had a power outtage at my company. I was called in to make sure our IT equipment was running the way it is supposed to. And it was, thanks to the fact that the company has twice the IT equipment it needs to do all the things it does. Half of the equipment is for situations exactly like the one that happened yesterday. I calculated that the company earns approximately a million dollars per hour. Which means any down time is very expensive. Companies value time in dollars. So how should we value our own time? We sell it to our employers, whether we get paid directly per hour or not. We spend time working and get paid in return. I used to decide whether to hire someone to do something vs. doing it myself by looking at how much I get paid compared with how much it costed to pay someone else to do it. I would consider the fact that I might not have the skill to do the task without doing research and that it would take longer for me to do it. But that's not an ac

Storm video: https://youtu.be/Hmxw1w4tLmg First of all, its grammatically incorrect. I mean, as an English major I have to point that out. Healthy is an adjective, not an adverb, so it modifies a noun, not a verb. What I really mean is Eating Healthy Foods or Eating Healthily. But that just doesn't have the ring. I try to make this podcast about learning how to learn, learning how to become an expert in your own health. So I don't really present an overall program. But it's easy to get lost in the details. If I don't have a big-picture idea of my goals, I may not have the focus I need to propel myself forward. So when you're describing yourself and how you live to someone you don't know that well, do you say, 'I try to eat healthy'? Because 'I try to eat well' doesn't work, it implies eating high-cost foods. Like 'living well'. As opposed to eating high-value foods. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/176

We all know the benefits of healthy fruits and vegetables in our diets, but have you ever heard that just having plants around can make you healthier? According to an article at treehugger.com, These are the 5 benefits: 1. Better breathing. 2. Staving off illness. 3. Cleaner air. 4. Speedy healing. 5. Better work performance. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/175 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 211 (-57) Workout time: 107 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 4.68 Miles (533.73) Steps: 17,517 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 163.74 (+21) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 25% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 6 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

The NFL starts Early! I suppose there are international exhibition games in July, and by August the preseason has started. Of course coaches want to be careful about using their key players before the season starts, so we expect not to see the starters play that much. But practice started last week, and I’m in the 2nd week of June as I record this. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/174 The TB12 Method: https://amzn.to/2uq8iH3 Also see episodes 120, 121, 122, 129, 138. Here's the YouTube playlist for those: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StNWQVPb3Fw&list=PL0-YNhuffh89maOARmUnz2QCb9r1rNNyi Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 211 (-57) Workout time: 107 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 4.68 Miles (533.73) Steps: 17,517 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 163.74 (+21) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 25% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 6 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

Medical department. I took a sick day this week because of sunburn. I mentioned in an earlier episode that I neglected to apply sunscreen one day, that was last Sunday. On top of that day, in which I did a full 5.screw-5 mile walk, lasting close to two hours out, at least partially, in the sun, I had been exposed to the sun several times in the prior week, watering my lawn, mowing, and on additional walks. Most of these times I remembered sunscreen, but on Sunday it was cooler than usual and that helped me forget. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/173 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 218 (-56) Workout time: 153 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 7.59 Miles (521.22) Steps: 16,763 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 154.68 (+12) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

I know what you're thinking. "How can you put everything about eating right in one episode? After all, you've already talked about it for most of 171 episodes and you're still going." Good point! I'm looking at how to eat right in terms of sticking to a plan. We know that habit and discipline go hand in hand. The more something becomes habit, the less effort it takes to maintain discipline. Discipline is sticking to a plan. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/172 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 218 (-56) Workout time: 153 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 7.59 Miles (521.22) Steps: 16,763 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 154.68 (+12) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

This episode is a brief update. It's important for me to be honest with you about the struggles I face, no matter how bad things get. I don't share everything, there are some lines I don't cross, but for the most part, when it comes to fitness, diet, and medicine, I provide my own experience good or bad. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/171   Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 218 (-56) Workout time: 153 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 7.59 Miles (521.22) Steps: 16,763 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 154.68 (+12) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

Welcome to the 11th and final (at least for a while) episode on super-centenarians. And this time it's all about the queen of longevity herself, Jeanne Louise Calment. She lived 122 years, 164 days, from February 1, 1875 to August 4, 1997. She is the oldest person ever with documented proof. See the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/170 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 218 (-56) Workout time: 153 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 7.59 Miles (521.22) Steps: 16,763 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 154.68 (+12) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

Welcome to the 10th in our series on centenarians. I'm going to start calling it 'Living to 100 and Beyond' because these are all super-centenarians, that is folks who lived to be at least 110. Sara Knauss lived from 9/24/1880 to 12/30/1999, a total of 119 years, 97 days. She is #2 on the list of all-time longest-lived people and did once hold the title of the oldest living person, from 4/16/98 to 12/30/99. She is oldest person ever from the United States Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/169   Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 218 (-59) Workout time: 140 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 5.86 Miles (504.32) Steps: 14,627 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 152.95 (+10) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

Welcome to the 9th in our series on centenarians: Nabi Tajima. News note: I.M.Pei, famous architect, died at the age of 102 recently. I have seen his work and it is striking. I wish I knew what his secret to long life was. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/168 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 218 (-59) Workout time: 140 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 5.86 Miles (504.32) Steps: 14,627 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 152.95 (+10) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

Welcome to the 8th in our series on centenarians. Lucy Hanna lived from 7/16/1865 to 3/21/1993 a total of 117 years, 248 days. At her death, Hannah's family claimed that she was 118, which was backed-up by Social Security data at the time, but an investigation by the Social Security Administration's "Kestenbaum" study in 2003 determined that her age at death was actually 117 years, 248 days. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/167 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 218 (-59) Workout time: 140 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 5.86 Miles (504.32) Steps: 14,627 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 152.95 (+10) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

Welcome to the 7th in our series on centenarians. Marie-Louise Meilleur. I noticed that 3 of the top 10 names start with "M", and my name is Michael, so I hope that's a point in my favor. Marie-Louise lived from August 29, 1880 to April 16, 1998, a total of 117 years, 230 days. She is #5 on the list of all-time longest-lived people and did once hold the title of the oldest living person. She is the only one of the top centenarians from Canada, and when she was told that she was the oldest person in Canada, she said "Poor Canada!". To me, that means she enjoyed her life and wished more people could live longer. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/166   Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 211 (-66) Workout time: 0 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 0 Miles (464.04) Steps: 3,246 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 156.29 (+13) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 26% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

Welcome to the 6th in our series on centenarians. Our subject is Violet Brown, a Jamaican who lived from 3/10/1900 to 9/15/2017, a total of 117 years, 189 days. She is #6 on the list of all-time longest-lived people and was the oldest living person, for 5 months in 2017. In fact, two years ago today, she was the oldest lilving person. Violet is the only Jamaican on the list of the ten longest-lived people. She was the last surviving person to have been a subject of Queen Victoria, because she was born when Jamaica was part of the British Empire. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/165 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 211 (-66) Workout time: 0 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 0 Miles (464.04) Steps: 3,246 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 156.29 (+13) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 26% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 5 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

Living to 100 Years Old - Emma Morano. Welcome to the 5th in our series on centenarians. Emma Morano lived from 11/29/1899 to 4/15/2017, a total of 117 years, 137 days. She is #7 on the list of all-time longest-lived people. Our first super-centenarian from Italy, Emma is the only Italian in the top 10. She was born in Civiasco, which is in far northern Italy, near the Swiss border. It looks like it's on the Swiss-Italian border, but in actuality, the Alps are there, so it's really just on the Italian side of the Alps. Emma never married, and her sister Angela lived to be 102, so longevity runs in the family. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/164 The Blue Zones books: The Blue Zones Solution: https://amzn.to/2QpbGvS The Blue Zones of Happiness: https://amzn.to/2Qpr0sC The Blue Zones Kitchen: https://amzn.to/2Qpr0sC The Blue Zones: https://amzn.to/2Qo4Tmb References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Morano https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grappa Intervi

Living to 100 Years Old - Chiyo Miyako. Welcome to the 4th in our series on centenarians. Chiyo Miyako lived from 5/2/1901 to 7/22/2018, a total of 117 years, 81 days. She is #8 on the list of all-time longest-lived people. Ms. Miyako is one of three centenarians on our list that is from Japan, which boasts of a healthy diet culture and excellent healthcare. A Newsweek article claimed "Japan dominates the list of oldest people, both men and women. As of February 2018, the country was believed to be home to 69,000 people over the age of 100, of which 9,000 of them are men and 60,000 women." This also highlights the disparity between men and women in terms of life expectancy. Born in Wakayama Prefecture, which is kind of in the middle, length-wise, of Japan. The nearest major city is Osaka. She died in Yokohama. I think the reason that sometimes you get just the state (in Japan, prefecture) where a centenarian was born is probably because that is the authority that issues birth certificates. After 117 years, it

Welcome to the 3rd in our series on centenarians. Misao Okawa lived from 3/5/1898 to 4/1/2015, a total of 117 years and 27 days. She is ninth on the list of all-time longest-lived people. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/162 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 215 (-60) Workout time: 113 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 7.64 Miles (484.12) Steps: 7,536 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 152.45 (+9) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 7 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

Welcome to the 2nd in our series on centenarians. Maria Esther Heredia Lecaro de Capovilla lived from 9/14/1889 to 8/27/2006, a total of 116 years and 347 days. She is #10 on the list of all-time longest-lived people. Maria was from Ecuador, which is not one of the 37 different countries where RAF is heard, sadly. She was born in the city of Guayaquil. She is the last person born in the 1880's and is still the longest-lived person from South America. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/161 Recorded May 14, 2019 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 215 (-60) Workout time: 113 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 7.64 Miles (484.12) Steps: 7,536 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 152.45 (+9) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 7 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat Episode cover art: Endlessdan at English Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]